"No Interest In Batting In Top-5": Gautam Gambhir's Big Statement On Dinesh Karthik

With India's 15-member squad getting picked for the T20 World Cup, all the focus is now on the ideal playing XI. Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant are the two designated wicketkeepers. While Karthik has been brilliant as a finisher in the IPL and for India un recent times, Pant has shown the streak to shine on important occasions. On Saturday, in a virtual press conference ahead of the series between India and Australia, Gambhir was asked whether it playing both Karthik and Pant in the same XI was a prudent move. The former India opener didn't agree.

"You can't do that. If you do that, you will miss out on a sixth bowler and you would not go into the World Cup with five bowlers. You need to have a backup. Unless you drop someone like a Suryakumar Yadav, or KL Rahul has a bad tournament.. and you can start with Rishabh Pant opening the batting. Otherwise, I don't see both of these players in the middle-order," said Gambhir in the press conference organised Star Sports.

He went on to state that Pant would be his first choice wicketkeeper because Karthik has "shown no interest" in batting at higher positions.

"To start off with, Rishabh Pant. Because I have said it in the past as well, you don't pick a T20 player only to play 10-12 balls. There is no guarantee that he is going to win you games. And Dinesh Karthik, unfortunately, has shown no interest in batting in the top-5. Your wicketkeeper has to be able to bat in the top-5 and Rishabh Pant has that quality to bat at any number for that matter - No.," said Gambhir.

"I will definitely have Rishabh Pant in my batting order. I don't believe in the notion that you need a left-hander in the middle-order. That's not the criteria, especially in a side like India. The criteria should be 'do you have the ability to win a game?', and Rishabh Pant has that. So yeah, Pant to start with at no.5, Hardik Pandya at 6, Axar at 7 and see if you want to Ashwin at 8, followed by three seamers."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Dinesh Karthik Rishabh Pant India vs Australia, 2022 Cricket